I see the mil dot master as an aid to folks who just can’t come to understand the basic ranging formula applicable to mil scaled reticle: target size in yards times 1000 divided by target size in mils equals distance to target in yards. Now, make a data card for bullet drop compensation from a zero on a specific gun, as well as cosines for slope angle. Buy a compass with a Clinometer to measure slope. Multiply cosine to line of sight distance to get flat ground distance which feels effect of gravity. That’s it.
The equation is, height x 1000 / mils = distance. If you use the height in inches, you get the distance in inches. The 27.77 conversion is for converting height in inches to get distance in yards, so: height (in inches) x 27.77 / mils = distance (in yards).
Thank you so much! This helped me more than a lot of other videos which are too complicated for new riflemen. This one summed it all up, and let's me figure out my calculations with ease :)
@theshwang Yes use the string and weight to measure incline. You can either sight down the top of the mildot master or put the mildot master on top of your barrel and then read the string on the scale.
Say your target is a 12 inch plate and it mills out at .75, use the bullet drop scale to get the range - 440 yards. Full instructions at the back of the manual. 12 inch plate- mills out at .50 mil=660 yds. Love it. Dead battery, no problem!
An invaluable tool indeed! It makes a Mil Dot reticle worth having for those longer shots. MidwayUSA has them for $27.99 plus tax and shipping. Great advice!!
@rednoseroxy you started out right. rem 700 may not be everybody's fav rifle but its like a sbc, EVERYBODY makes go fast parts for it. and 308 is the perfect all around caliber, easy to get, relatively cheap, hits hard and everybody has 1 or 3. there's a million places to get serious knowledge about the rem 700 and the 308 cartridge too. you can steal your buddy's ammo too. i take the info off it for each rifle/cal and make a little card for each rifle. saves lotsa time and no calculator
@EN2HAMMSTER What you are saying is true to a point. Mils can be either yards or meters as long as the distence is in yards or meters. Good video thanks for the review. Keep Safe.
excellent review of this product..... Ive seen them advertised over at SWFA but i never knew how it worked or whether it was worth purchasing..... I like it... Seems like a solid piece of kit for someone interested in trying their hand at +400 yard shooting..
Thanks for the video. I am new to the long range game due to being mostly a pistol hunter with a little rifle thrown in. But now I am more committed to the long range game. I am going to be picking one of these up that's for sure. Thanks again
Just rec. my Mildot Master. It would greatly aid in reading the scales and index if there was some expansion on the printed data appearing on the front.Compact gear can be an advantage it's true, but where calculations are required by matching index lines used as an incidence to derive a proportional unit, smaller is not better. My Mildot measures aprox. 6 1/2"" in length yet the ranging window is only 4 inches in length. For instance..from 500-to-600 yds. there are 10 lines of index. But these 10 lines only cover 7mm in length. 7mm is .275 inch...divide this into 10 lines and you have only .027 inch separation of index line spacing. Reading Twenty Seven thousandths of an inch to sort out range can result in a bad word! Long story short..you better have a magnifying glass and excellent eyesight if you order a Mildot.
@m70c00l no it does not calculate bullet drop, there is a place to attach that information on the back when you get it. When you know your bullet drop it can help you adjust the scope. Look on the internet you should be able to find some bullet drop charts that will get you close but you will need to find how much the bullet drops with your rifle and ammo.
@ScopedNightmare The formula is size of target in yards, in this case I used 36 inches so there would be no decimal pont and make the math easy for you so the size of the target in yards is 1 times that by 1000 in this case that equals 1000 divide that by the size of the object in mils in this case the object appeared to be 2 mils in height so distance in yards equals 500 just like the slide rule shows. 1x1000 divided 2 equal 500 yards
No tech would be simple in head equation to determine distance to target and a range card to determine bullet drop compensation for distance. as well as slope cosines which when multiplied to line of sight target distance will calculate flat ground distance to target.
Old question but I just ran across this vid. Use Hornady website ballistic program in the advanced mode and you can input all the variables. Only variable you won't be able to find is the actual muzzle velocity of your round in your rifle! For that you'll need a chronograph. Some ranges allow you to rent theirs. Manufacturers or reloading manuals can only give you what they measured n their tests. 50 fps can make a huge difference downrange a ways! Or you can get an app for your phone.
In your first example you are at a 500 yd range, if you can estimate the correct size of the target at that range, you don't need a Mildot Master, you could do it by eye LOL. But the real easy way is target height or width in mm divide by mil dot answer is in meters
Did not catch whether it can adjust for target height diminish-ment from an elevation? I understand that it calculates the horizontal distance to a target from an elevation.
@filoIII This will measure objects as small as 4 inches, but no closer than 100 yards. I don't think this will be of any help to you. Sorry, thanks for watching.
m70c00l -I fire the same round. But I zero’d for 100 meters with. Bushnell HDMRII reticle. I’ve got no problems calculating the bullet drop out to 1000. Just food for thought.
@krinquechaf Why make your own when you can find one for $30? And the material is waterproof, as well as tear resistant (since it's plastic). I guess you can but if money is this tight, I don't know how you are planning to shoot enough to get any good or stay good.
while pointing your barrel at the target place the mil master on the bottom of the barrel with a weight on that string. the string will cross the line that is the incline.
if you have a hard time leaving the card against the bottom of your barrel (or if there is a handguard) would it be sufficient to "aim" the mildot master card from your eye to the target and then reference the string's crossing point?
ddyoder Yes you can sight down the top or even glue a small tube or straw along the edge to look thru, if you are only looking for shot angle you can do the same thing with a 99¢ protractor, straw, string and a weight
Both Mildot and MoA are calibrated at a specific magnification - this data will come with your scope - it's the only magnification that your mildots will be accurate for size estimation.
I have one and I think it is a complete waist of money. I would like the thing, but it does not calculate long range, so it is easily replaced by a protractor and a weighted string.
would someone explain to me how magnification plays into this calculation? I feel like it should, then again i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed so any insight would help
It doesnt matter unless your reticle is on the second focal plane on your optic. If your reticle doesnt appear to grow in size as you increase magnification, then you have a second focal plane optic. The manufacturer of the optic should tell you at what magnification your reticle is true to make accurate observations.
The mil-dot system works at any magnification in a front focal plane scope, but only at a specific magnification in the second focal plane scope (usually the maximum, or failing that, 10x). If you use the mid-dots on the wrong power in a second focal plane (SFP) scope, your calculation will be in error. The Mildot Master does not depend on a specific magnification or optical type for use. The biggest thing is to make sure you know how to read the mils value from your scope correctly. That way, the MilDot Master can do its job properly.
Magnification does change the result, but the numbers and scales on the MILDOT master are not based on any specific magnification per se. To use the MILDOT master, you need to know the actual size of the object and have to measure the number of mils it covers on your reticle (depends on the magnification being used). For example, a 36" x 36" square at a certain distance might cover 4 mils on 3x while it would appear larger and cover, say, 2 mils on 6x. This is assuming the optic is first focal plane i.e. the reticle size changes with the magnification. If your reticle size does not change, then it's a second focal plane scope. With the second focal plane scopes, the scope's manual should tell you what magnification the scope should be on to do accurate range estimation. Sorry about the wordiness. Hope this helps! ;)
tzone Your scope is pre-set at the factory to range at a single, given power, so you need to find out WHAT that is (5X? 6X?, etc). Then you're gonna be doing math!! You need to divide the power you want to range with by the pre-set ranging power. So if your scope is factory set to 5X, and you want to range at 9X, you need to divide 9x by 5x: 9 / 5 = 1.8. Now range as you normally would at 5X using standard formula ~ (size target in inches X 27.778) / mils = distance in yards ~ but for 9X you need to take the mil reading and divide it by 1.8, then factor the new mil reading into that formula So for a known target size of 20", you range and get a reading of 2.225 mils. Your formula when ranging at 5x (factory preset) would be: 20 x 27.77 / 2.225 = 249.6 yards (standard formula) If you want to range that same target at 9X power, take your 2.225 mils and divide by your 1.8 factor to get your new mil reading 2.225 / 1.8 = 1.2 mils The formula would be: (20 x 27.778) / 1.2 = 462 yards If you plug the NEW mil reading into your MilDot Master you should get the same yardage.
Ha, this is like using a slide rule compared to a calculator. I'll stick with my rangefinder and not pay a ridic price of $40. My target would die of old age if i used this paper and plumb bob. good info........thanks
+tshorse Yeah... that's all well and good til your high speed rangefinder takes a shit when you really need it. electronic and mechanical things can and will break. And if you can't learn to use this thing quickly, you probably need to go back and repeat 3rd grad math class.
I see the mil dot master as an aid to folks who just can’t come to understand the basic ranging formula applicable to mil scaled reticle: target size in yards times 1000 divided by target size in mils equals distance to target in yards. Now, make a data card for bullet drop compensation from a zero on a specific gun, as well as cosines for slope angle. Buy a compass with a Clinometer to measure slope. Multiply cosine to line of sight distance to get flat ground distance which feels effect of gravity. That’s it.
The equation is, height x 1000 / mils = distance. If you use the height in inches, you get the distance in inches. The 27.77 conversion is for converting height in inches to get distance in yards, so: height (in inches) x 27.77 / mils = distance (in yards).
how can mil-dot master tell the bullet drop without knowing the cartridge ballistics, caliber, velocity, tempature, angle etc.
Thanks this is the most clear explanation I've seen.
I’ve used one for 10-15 years now and I absolutely love it! So much easier and quicker than doing math in my feeble old mind!
Thank you so much! This helped me more than a lot of other videos which are too complicated for new riflemen. This one summed it all up, and let's me figure out my calculations with ease :)
A lot of deer are happy with this because they've all moved by now
The more we expect from technology the less we expect from ourselves.
@theshwang Yes use the string and weight to measure incline. You can either sight down the top of the mildot master or put the mildot master on top of your barrel and then read the string on the scale.
Say your target is a 12 inch plate and it mills out at .75, use the bullet drop scale to get the range - 440 yards. Full instructions at the back of the manual. 12 inch plate- mills out at .50 mil=660 yds. Love it. Dead battery, no problem!
An invaluable tool indeed! It makes a Mil Dot reticle worth having for those longer shots. MidwayUSA has them for $27.99 plus tax and shipping.
Great advice!!
how can mil-dot master tell the bullet drop without knowing the cartridge ballistics, caliber, velocity, tempature, angle etc.
@rednoseroxy
you started out right.
rem 700 may not be everybody's fav rifle but its like a sbc, EVERYBODY makes go fast parts for it.
and 308 is the perfect all around caliber, easy to get, relatively cheap, hits hard and everybody has 1 or 3.
there's a million places to get serious knowledge about the rem 700 and the 308 cartridge too.
you can steal your buddy's ammo too.
i take the info off it for each rifle/cal and make a little card for each rifle.
saves lotsa time and no calculator
@EN2HAMMSTER What you are saying is true to a point. Mils can be either yards or meters as long as the distence is in yards or meters. Good video thanks for the review. Keep Safe.
excellent review of this product..... Ive seen them advertised over at SWFA but i never knew how it worked or whether it was worth purchasing..... I like it... Seems like a solid piece of kit for someone interested in trying their hand at +400 yard shooting..
Thanks for the video. I am new to the long range game due to being mostly a pistol hunter with a little rifle thrown in. But now I am more committed to the long range game. I am going to be picking one of these up that's for sure. Thanks again
Just rec. my Mildot Master. It would greatly aid in reading the scales and index if there was some expansion on the printed data appearing on the front.Compact gear can be an advantage it's true, but where calculations are required by matching index lines used as an incidence to derive a proportional unit, smaller is not better. My Mildot measures aprox. 6 1/2"" in length yet the ranging window is only 4 inches in length. For instance..from 500-to-600 yds. there are 10 lines of index. But these 10 lines only cover 7mm in length. 7mm is .275 inch...divide this into 10 lines and you have only .027 inch separation of index line spacing. Reading Twenty Seven thousandths of an inch to sort out range can result in a bad word! Long story short..you better have a magnifying glass and excellent eyesight if you order a Mildot.
@m70c00l no it does not calculate bullet drop, there is a place to attach that information on the back when you get it. When you know your bullet drop it can help you adjust the scope. Look on the internet you should be able to find some bullet drop charts that will get you close but you will need to find how much the bullet drops with your rifle and ammo.
I need same mildot master but i cant find on ebey or amazon.. can you tell where i can buy this
Low Tech is High Tech in a grid down or shtf scenario. I’ve had mine for years and it works perfectly every time.
Yes, it's on the the reverse side of the insert. Just pull the insert out, turn it over & reinsert. 3 second metric conversion.
@ScopedNightmare The formula is size of target in yards, in this case I used 36 inches so there would be no decimal pont and make the math easy for you so the size of the target in yards is 1 times that by 1000 in this case that equals 1000 divide that by the size of the object in mils in this case the object appeared to be 2 mils in height so distance in yards equals 500 just like the slide rule shows. 1x1000 divided 2 equal 500 yards
Sometimes No Tech is the way to go. Mine came in today and it's great
Where did you buy from. I cand find sir on ebey..?
No tech would be simple in head equation to determine distance to target and a range card to determine bullet drop compensation for distance. as well as slope cosines which when multiplied to line of sight target distance will calculate flat ground distance to target.
Old question but I just ran across this vid. Use Hornady website ballistic program in the advanced mode and you can input all the variables. Only variable you won't be able to find is the actual muzzle velocity of your round in your rifle! For that you'll need a chronograph. Some ranges allow you to rent theirs. Manufacturers or reloading manuals can only give you what they measured n their tests. 50 fps can make a huge difference downrange a ways! Or you can get an app for your phone.
You can shorten the equation by doing H*27.8/mils= distance.
I'm gonna buy one of these if I can find one. Thanks for the info and great vid. You have a new subscriber.
Amazon has them fr $21 plus also have data books
Great Review, well covered product features
John here that.s called SWEET.
In your first example you are at a 500 yd range, if you can estimate the correct size of the target at that range, you don't need a Mildot Master, you could do it by eye LOL. But the real easy way is target height or width in mm divide by mil dot answer is in meters
They do sell it in a metric version. Thats what I have orderd.
Now I understand !
Incline and decline distance is the same? I believe if you shoot uphill distance should be longer. Or am I wrong?
Yes i agree with doing it the hard way frist
Did not catch whether it can adjust for target height diminish-ment from an elevation? I understand that it calculates the horizontal distance to a target from an elevation.
It does not matter, scopes with low power I believe will still have the mil dots set at 10x despite lower settings.
@filoIII This will measure objects as small as 4 inches, but no closer than 100 yards. I don't think this will be of any help to you. Sorry, thanks for watching.
Thx,6.24.2021
swfa has them now for 22$.
Wow this is very nice
No problem, I would suggest as well as searching on that despite my help :)
Thanks for the lesson
This one is very exact and easy to use.
@
Does caliber come into play when using this?
How could an airgunner use this? The birds/groundhogs/squirrels, etc are only 6inches or so. Can that thing go down that small? Thanks
Nice Video.
Good job, thanks
does it find bullet drop because i have no idea how to find bullet drop for 168 gr bullet at 2650 fps sighted at 200yards
m70c00l -I fire the same round. But I zero’d for 100 meters with. Bushnell HDMRII reticle. I’ve got no problems calculating the bullet drop out to 1000. Just food for thought.
SHOOTERSCALCULATOR.COM
great work thanks :)
thanks for the video
What do you do when you run out of gravity smart guy??
Vary cool good to know
Don't understand how u measure incline. How did u measure 30 deg with the string n weight. What's the referance. Thx
I have seen other types is there a way one could make one by using a protractor
@krinquechaf Why make your own when you can find one for $30? And the material is waterproof, as well as tear resistant (since it's plastic). I guess you can but if money is this tight, I don't know how you are planning to shoot enough to get any good or stay good.
How do you know you are at a 30 degree incline , how do you determine that
while pointing your barrel at the target place the mil master on the bottom of the barrel with a weight on that string. the string will cross the line that is the incline.
Right on
if you have a hard time leaving the card against the bottom of your barrel (or if there is a handguard) would it be sufficient to "aim" the mildot master card from your eye to the target and then reference the string's crossing point?
ddyoder Yes you can sight down the top or even glue a small tube or straw along the edge to look thru, if you are only looking for shot angle you can do the same thing with a 99¢ protractor, straw, string and a weight
Mine is being delivered today!!
Where did you buy from
thank you very much !!!
on the slope doper what are the angle steps 2 4 6 or 3 6 9 ho is it done
Does it matter what magnification your scope is in when using the Mildot master?
It does if your scope is second focal plane.
Both Mildot and MoA are calibrated at a specific magnification - this data will come with your scope - it's the only magnification that your mildots will be accurate for size estimation.
plus - only applies to first focal plane scopes - not second focal plane.
will it work with a mrad scope? NOT mil dot?
I just looked on Amazon for the mildot master and they do have a separate one for mrad
I have one and I think it is a complete waist of money. I would like the thing, but it does not calculate long range, so it is easily replaced by a protractor and a weighted string.
@EN2HAMMSTER ok thanks
would someone explain to me how magnification plays into this calculation? I feel like it should, then again i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed so any insight would help
It doesnt matter unless your reticle is on the second focal plane on your optic. If your reticle doesnt appear to grow in size as you increase magnification, then you have a second focal plane optic. The manufacturer of the optic should tell you at what magnification your reticle is true to make accurate observations.
haha after some simple strokes of the keyboard I figured it out, shooting just under .5 moa now, thanks though!
The mil-dot system works at any magnification in a front focal plane scope, but only at a specific magnification in the second focal plane scope (usually the maximum, or failing that, 10x). If you use the mid-dots on the wrong power in a second focal plane (SFP) scope, your calculation will be in error. The Mildot Master does not depend on a specific magnification or optical type for use. The biggest thing is to make sure you know how to read the mils value from your scope correctly. That way, the MilDot Master can do its job properly.
where to find or buy this mildot master devices my friend
You can find it almost anywhere
What if your using magnification? Are these values based on 1x magnification? I have a 3-9x mag scope so how do I calculate that?
Magnification does change the result, but the numbers and scales on the MILDOT master are not based on any specific magnification per se. To use the MILDOT master, you need to know the actual size of the object and have to measure the number of mils it covers on your reticle (depends on the magnification being used). For example, a 36" x 36" square at a certain distance might cover 4 mils on 3x while it would appear larger and cover, say, 2 mils on 6x. This is assuming the optic is first focal plane i.e. the reticle size changes with the magnification. If your reticle size does not change, then it's a second focal plane scope. With the second focal plane scopes, the scope's manual should tell you what magnification the scope should be on to do accurate range estimation. Sorry about the wordiness. Hope this helps! ;)
Get a FFP scope so the value doesn't change.
Stranga43
Too late already bought a sfp scope
tzone Your scope is pre-set at the factory to range at a single, given power, so you need to find out WHAT that is (5X? 6X?, etc). Then you're gonna be doing math!! You need to divide the power you want to range with by the pre-set ranging power. So if your scope is factory set to 5X, and you want to range at 9X, you need to divide 9x by 5x: 9 / 5 = 1.8. Now range as you normally would at 5X using standard formula ~ (size target in inches X 27.778) / mils = distance in yards ~ but for 9X you need to take the mil reading and divide it by 1.8, then factor the new mil reading into that formula
So for a known target size of 20", you range and get a reading of 2.225 mils. Your formula when ranging at 5x (factory preset) would be: 20 x 27.77 / 2.225 = 249.6 yards (standard formula) If you want to range that same target at 9X power, take your 2.225 mils and divide by your 1.8 factor to get your new mil reading 2.225 / 1.8 = 1.2 mils
The formula would be: (20 x 27.778) / 1.2 = 462 yards If you plug the NEW mil reading into your MilDot Master you should get the same yardage.
Thanks yeah, the factory range is 9x but I was hoping to avoid doing all the math hence the slide rule. I think someone needs to make an app for that.
i'm realy intrested in this but will this work with a 4x32 mil dot scope?
THE BLACK TRAPPER - Yes
You must be kidding, where are you buying this. 45 bucks too much,
Awesome review. Is that EN2 a navy rating?
Engineman 2nd Class
Ooh oke. nice
Wow
Your screwed, unless it has some other type of MOA/Mil measuring system (BDC reticles dont count)
where did you get yours. Thanks for the vid
Do they also have it in meters?
Flip the sliding card over and re-insert. Meters on that side
donde puedo comprar una de esas??? XD....
NIce. But $30???? Come on, get serious. The cost to make it is what, 50 cents?
donde puedo comprar una de esas
Nicolas Ramirez - Amazon
@hddm3 I got it on line at mildot.com
Ha, this is like using a slide rule compared to a calculator. I'll stick with my rangefinder and not pay a ridic price of $40. My target would die of old age if i used this paper and plumb bob. good info........thanks
Not sure if serious.
+tshorse Yeah... that's all well and good til your high speed rangefinder takes a shit when you really need it. electronic and mechanical things can and will break. And if you can't learn to use this thing quickly, you probably need to go back and repeat 3rd grad math class.
wow, that thing is $38 on Amazon.com. Pretty expensive